This instrument is my re-engineered version of twenty string wood arch top Mohan Veena. Designed originally by Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winning album “Meeting by the River” with Ry Cooder), I have replaced the original wood arch top guitar design with a deep hand built German Silver Nickel brass body. Both layers of strings come to a two-level Beard spider bridge and cone.

The metal body is traditional from circa 1925 and the Dopyera brothers who first designed metal body resonator guitars using nickel brass or German silver, an alloy of 18% nickel and traditional brass.

The neck runs the full length of the instrument without a joint or dowel socket where the neck meets the body. I carve them from a full length, book matched two-piece blank of Bolivian rosewood. I attribute their long sustain to this unique construction as there is no glue line or joint to interrupt the vibration of the whole length of the instrument. This innovative and time-consuming construction method produces a lengthened sustain and great tone.

The instrument comes with a French fit aluminum case lined with archival foam and is Air Canada proof.

The upper strings consist of three melody strings tuned DAD and five drone strings tuned dDDAA. This is one of Harry Manx’s tunings.

The lower sympathetic strings are DCDEFGGAABCD and have tuners along the side of the neck. I designed a two-level carbon fibre plate bridge. The lower 12 sympathetic sitar strings run across a carbon fibre tipping plate that rests in a lower slot in the bridge that is supported by the cast spider bridge. The tipping bridge is set screw adjustable to get the scintillating sitar sound.

The connection of upper playing strings and lower sympathetics is direct through their shared bridge.

It make look intimidating, but it’s really just a three-string lap steel guitar with 5 drone strings and a dozen sympathetic sitar strings that sing along whenever the upper strings are played.
 
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